The present invention relates to wheelbarrow devices and more particularly pertains to a wheelbarrow disk brake assembly suitable for single and double wheel wheelbarrows which is uniquely adapted for use quick mounting with a minimum of sizing adjustments in a retrofit or original equipment context.
Wheelbarrows are familiar load carrying products that typically are constructed from two long handles connected together at their front ends and being separated at their rear ends sufficiently so that the user can grasp the handles and lift them. A cargo carrying bin is mounted on top of the handles. A wheel assembly is mounted on the underside of the handles near their front ends to allow movement of the wheelbarrow, and a pair of legs are located rearwardly of the wheel assembly to allow the wheelbarrow to stand on the two legs and the wheel. Known prior art wheelbarrow devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,962,833; 4,640,520; 4,479,658; 5,433,464; U.S. Design Pat. No. 303,512 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,943. The traditional single wheel wheelbarrow is far and away the most commonly used type of wheelbarrow because of its flexibility. Double wheel wheelbarrows provide greater stability, and greater ease in rolling, but are generally not liked by workmen because once pointed in a direction, they are difficult to turn.
One of the inventors herein, Daniel Burbank, has developed a disk brake system for a wheelbarrow as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,191, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The patented disk brake system discloses a disk brake rotor mounted to the wheel of the wheelbarrow by a plurality of bolts, and a disk brake caliper that is mounted to one of the wheelbarrow handles. A hand operated lever is mounted on the handles of the wheelbarrow and is mechanically connected to the disk brake caliper by a brake cable. The disk brake system of the prior Burbank patent provides an apparatus useful for controlling the downward speed of a wheelbarrow that can develop when transporting a full load downhill; and allows comfortable holding of a wheelbarrow in a stationary position, even on a hill; and helps in the dumping of the wheelbarrow load by fixing the wheel in position so that lifting energy used to dump the wheelbarrow contents is not diverted by undesired rolling of the wheelbarrow when the lifting is occurring. However, installation of this system requires disassembly of the wheelbarrow and various drilling operations to mount the disk brake system to the wheelbarrow.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new wheelbarrow braking system which may be easily and efficiently mounted onto existing wheelbarrows without requiring drilling or other modification of the existing wheelbarrow.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new wheelbarrow braking system which may be easily and efficiently mounted onto new wheelbarrows without requiring special operations or tooling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new wheelbarrow braking system which may be easily and efficiently mounted onto both single wheel wheelbarrows and double wheel wheelbarrows.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new wheelbarrow braking system that is effective to facilitating braking of a conventional wheelbarrow while transporting heavy loads on hills and uneven surfaces.
A typical wheelbarrow to which the invention applies has two handles and a wheel assembly near a forward end of the two handles. The wheel assembly includes an axle, and at least one wheel mounted on the axle, and axle mounting brackets mounted to the handles and holding the axle. The wheelbarrow disk brake assembly has a mounting bracket having two spaced apart arms mounted to one wheelbarrow handle; and a caliper bracket having an axle hole for receiving the axle and thereby mounting the caliper bracket to the axle. The caliper bracket has one or more support arms extending away from the axle. In one embodiment, the mounting bracket and the caliper bracket are separate parts, and the caliper bracket is received between the spaced apart arms of the mounting bracket and held in a desired orientation, preferably with the support arms extending upwardly. In another embodiment the caliper bracket and the mounting bracket are combined in a single integral part, with the mounting bracket arms extending laterally from the caliper bracket.
A brake caliper assembly is mounted to the caliper bracket at a selected distance from the axle hole of the caliper bracket. The brake caliper assembly includes a housing containing an actuator and opposing brake pads. A disk rotor is mounted to the axle or wheel cylindrical portion of the wheelbarrow by a mounting collar or direct welding. The disk rotor has a central opening and a diameter selected such that a peripheral area of the disk rotor is positioned within the brake caliper assembly between the opposing brake pads. The caliper assembly is operable by actuation of a brake handle connected to the caliper by a brake cable.
Other objects, aspects and features of the present invention in addition to those mentioned above will be pointed out in or will be understood from the following detailed description provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.